After Hours

  Shay Violet

  shayviolet.com

  Copyright © 2021 by Shay Violet

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  1. Dani

  2. Seth

  3. Dani

  4. Seth

  5. Dani

  6. Seth

  7. Dani

  8. Dani

  Also by Shay Violet

  1

  Dani

  Paperwork was not my favorite thing in the world—was it anyone’s?—but I took pride in a job well done. After an hour of gathering everything my boss asked for, double—and triple—checking everything to make sure it was all in order, I stood outside his office door and knocked.

  This was the last thing I needed to do before I could go home for the night, make dinner, spend some time with Davon, and unwind with a long, hot bath.

  It sounded like heaven.

  My job wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was demanding. Working for one of the founding members of a Fortune 100 company meant there wasn’t any room for mistakes or slacking off.

  Especially when that founding member was Seth Langley. He’d always been a fair boss, but he had high expectations. He was a workaholic and wanted the same from his subordinates.

  I didn’t live for my job like some others at PayEaz did, but it was too good of a gig to give up, so I did my best to keep Mr. Langley happy.

  He didn’t answer after the first knock. I waited an extra beat before trying again.

  “Come in,” he muttered, not quite sounding like his usual self.

  “Hi there,” I said, putting on my best chipper voice, trying to ignore the distant tone in his. “I got those reports you asked for,” I offered, handing him the stack of papers.

  He didn’t look up from his computer screen. He was hunched over the desk, his elbow resting on the edge, his chin in his hand, squinting through thick-rimmed glasses, the reflection of the screen hiding his eyes.

  “Just leave them on the desk,” he said, not looking my way.

  That was unusual, too. Mr. Langley wasn’t what I’d call an extrovert by any means, but he’d always made an attempt to be friendly... or at least pleasant. Something was bothering him.

  “Is everything all right, sir?” I asked, taking a chance. We didn’t typically talk about things outside of work, but I was his assistant, if something was going on, I’d probably be the one to help, right?

  “Hmm?” he said, still off in thought. His brain seemed to process what I’d said. “Yes, everything’s fine,” he frowned at the screen, “Just going over the roll-out.” He glanced away long enough to eye the stack of papers I’d just set down on the edge of his desk.

  PayEaz was one of the biggest money-based apps in the world, and they didn’t maintain that title because there wasn’t any competition, they held onto the top spot with constant innovation, new features, new programs, diversifying the customer base—I might have only been an assistant, but I paid attention. If I was the ambitious sort, I’d have tried for a more serious role in this company years ago, but I liked where I was. The hours were consistent and not too long like in other departments, giving me the free time to spend with my favorite person in the whole world.

  Moving up in the company would just give me more responsibility, longer hours, less time to be with my family.

  I didn’t mind being an assistant, even if it meant I had all this company knowledge and nothing to do with it.

  The most recent program had been in the works for almost two years, and the launch date was only a few weeks away. Seth was overseeing the whole thing, and it had seemed to go smoothly, but now he was making me wonder.

  I’d never seen him so concerned.

  “There’s still a lot to do,” he said, finally looking past the end of his desk to me. “I’m going to be pulling some long nights and I’ll need you here,” he added.

  It wasn’t a question.

  “Oh, um…” I stammered, trying to come up with some reason I couldn’t without telling him the truth. I was salaried, though. When I was hired, I was told there was the possibility of having to work extra hours, of being on call for Mr. Langley’s needs, but in the three and a half years I’d worked for PayEaz, it had never happened. He was a very dedicated nine-to-fiver and never made me stay later than that.

  It didn’t seem wise to make a stink about it now when he’d never asked this of me before. And I didn’t want to tell him the reason for my hesitation. I couldn’t think of an alternative excuse with my mind being completely blank, so I wound up just nodding.

  “Of course, sir. Do you need anything else from me right now?”

  “I’m sending you a packet now,” he said, clicking his mouse twice.

  So much for getting out of here. It looked like my extra hours were going to start immediately.

  Some warning would’ve been nice, but I keep that to myself and head back to my desk, an uneasy feeling brewing in my stomach.

  I had a bad feeling about this sudden change. The whole time I’d worked for PayEaz, I’d kept my private life separate because he never asked me to stay late or work holidays or anything like that. This was going to throw a wrench into everything.

  I couldn’t take the chance to tell him the truth, though. Not after what happened at my last job. I couldn’t afford a repeat performance—especially not with an extra mouth to feed.

  Back at my desk, I looked around at the rapidly emptying office before I picked up the phone, still feeling queasy, and dialed my mother’s number.

  “Hey, could you stop by the store and pick me up some butter on your way here?” Mom answered without even giving me a chance to say hello.

  “Uh…I can, but it’s going to be a little while,” I said, swiveling in my chair to glance back to Seth’s office.

  “What? Why? Is everything okay?” Mom asked, concerned.

  “Yes, my boss just needs me to stay late,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I know it’s Spades night with the girls.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. It means I don’t need to force myself to drink any of Evelyn’s homemade eggnog.”

  There was laughter in my mother’s voice. I know she loved watching Davon more than anything, but I wanted her to enjoy her life, too. She had so many wonderful friends who loved her, and I know she’d looked forward to spending more time with them after raising me and my sister. Now, she was helping me raise my son, and while she loved us both and I don’t know what I would’ve done without her, I didn’t want to burden her.

  “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  “If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me sweetie. But don’t let your boss take advantage of you. He better be paying you overtime.”

  “He is.” Seth was demanding, but he took care of his employees. Always.

  “Good. Otherwise I’m gonna pay him a visit with some of Evelyn’s eggnog.”

  “Mom!” I had to laugh at that. The image of Seth trying to suck it down to appease my mother was too much. Evelyn’s recipe was a close-kept family secret, thank God.

  “Alright, well you take care of yourself. Don’t stay out too late. I worry about you.”

  “I won’t. Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me,” my mom said.

  “Thank you anyways. I’ll make sure I pick up some butter,” I added, hoping to win some brownie points even though I was pretty sure that ship had sailed.

  By the time I hung up the phone, the nervous feeling in my gut had only gotten worse. Mom had missed Spades night. I didn’t want her to miss Bible Study night, too.

  I needed to find another babysitter ASAP, but I didn’t know when I’d have the time if I was going to be working all these extra hours. I couldn’t trust some random stranger with my baby.

  Maybe if I got enough of this stuff done tonight, Mr. Langley wouldn’t need me to stay late too many other times. Maybe he was overestimating how much needed to be done.

  It was a nice thought, but it was wishful thinking. Mr. Langley was nothing if not thorough. He would never cut corners, and I knew I couldn’t either.

  I let out a deep sigh. Everyone else in the office gone by now, leaving just me and Mr. Langley alone. No use in dwelling on it. I had work to do.

  2

  Seth

  I was up to my eyeballs in year end status reports and market forecasts, statements from developers, and expectations from everyone. It had been a long time since I’d helmed a project like this—it had been Ben’s purview since the founding of PayEaz. But with Ryan’s sudden retirement a year ago, Ben took over being the CEO and the CFO job fell into my lap.

  And I was remembering why I didn’t enjoy being the project lead on things like this. There was so much to sift through.

  I pushed my glasses up to my forehead and rubbed my eyes, finding grit in the corners. Outside, the sky turned pink and orange and purple. The colors glinted off the water in the distance. I let myself enjoy the sunset for half a second before turning back to my computer screen, its blue light looked cold and hollow in comparison.

  I never stayed in the office this late. I didn’t want to be shackled to my desk, the job becoming my entire identity. But right now, I had little choice. I wanted this company to stay successful, and someone had to do it

. Who else could it be? Cole?

  That thought made me snort.

  Cole would be even worse at this than I was. He’d never wanted an administrative position. He preferred to stay holed up in his cave, coding and programming and not much else. I loved the guy like a brother, but he was a coder monkey. There was no way I could count on him to do any of this corporate drudgery.

  I was re-reading the same email for the third time, still not really processing any of the words, when my phone rang.

  Mom.

  That was weird. She didn’t normally call me out of the blue.

  The first thing that I thought of was Dad having another heart attack. They always went overboard for the holidays and maybe Dad had been up on a ladder?

  That thought filled me with dread. My palms were sweaty by the time I answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Thank you so much!” Mom said immediately. “It was exactly what I wanted. I love it,” she added.

  “You do?” I asked, completely lost.

  “Of course I do! It’s perfect. You always do such a good job.”

  “I’m...glad you approve,” I said, still not really connecting the dots.

  “You know your father actually bought me a new dishwasher—for my birthday—can you believe that?”

  My heart dropped, and I looked over at the date on my computer screen. December fifth.

  Shit.

  Today was her birthday.

  How did that slip by me?

  “Don’t get me wrong, we needed one, but he could’ve just replaced it instead of pawning it off as a birthday present so he didn’t have to shop for me. I’m glad I raised you to be a better gift-giver than that,” she said, cycling from happy to annoyed to happy again so fast it gave me whiplash. At least I wasn’t the one she was annoyed with. Poor Dad.

  He really should’ve known better.

  At least he hadn’t forgotten her birthday altogether.

  “I’m glad you like it, Mom. You deserve the best. I hate to do this to you, but I’ve got a ton of work on my desk and—”

  “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d still be at work.”

  “Yeah, we’re putting in some extra hours for a new launch…”

  “Okay, don’t let me keep you,” she said. “I just wanted to thank you for your thoughtful gift. Now I’ve just got to make some space for it! You’re so thoughtful. I love you!”

  “Love you too, Mom,” I answered, guilt gnawing at me as I hung up the phone.

  I was still confused about the whole thing, then I looked out toward the office and realized what must’ve happened.

  Dani.

  That was the only explanation that made any sense at all. I shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d always been a top-notch assistant who went above and beyond, and I’d asked her to handle things like my parents’ anniversary presents or Mother’s Day gifts before. She must’ve realized the whole thing slipped my mind with this launch and covered my ass.

  She was too good to me.

  I pressed the button on my phone that connected to hers.

  “Could you come in here for a moment?” I asked.

  “Yes, sir. Be right there,” she answered, sounding apprehensive.

  “Did you need something?” she asked as she stepped into my doorway.

  “I just got a call from my mother thanking me for the thoughtful gift I got her,” I said, watching her eyes grow wide.

  “Oh, she liked it?”

  I nodded. “What did I get her? I assume you were behind this?”

  “Yes, sir. She’s been wanting a new long-arm quilting machine, and it didn’t seem like something your father would ever get her. I hope you don’t mind...it was a little pricier than your past gifts, but it’s not every year your mother turns sixty…”

  “No, you’re right. And forgetting all about it would have been a disaster,” I said, wondering how much the gift actually cost. Not that it mattered. I had more money than I knew what to do with—literally. I gave my entire salary to charity every year, mostly living off of the interest my bank account drew. And that wasn’t even considering my PayEaz stock, which was worth millions. Hundreds of millions. Dani could’ve bought my mom a private island, and I probably wouldn’t have noticed the hit to my bank account. I doubted a quilting machine could make me bat an eye.

  “I’m glad she liked it,” Dani added. “I read a ton of reviews before settling on one.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” I told her, shaking my head. She really was too good to me. I didn’t think anyone else’s assistant was so on top of things, and I wasn’t sure how I’d lucked out with her, or why she’d never moved into a position with more clout. She was too good to be stuck in assistant-land forever.

  “Just doing my job, sir,” she said, not quite making eye contact.

  “No, really. There’s no way I could keep track of my life without you, Dani. I really appreciate all you do for me. I don’t think I say that often enough.”

  She brushed aside her dark curls and looked down, a familiar bashful smile creeping up. She was so pretty when she smiled like that.

  From the very first day she’d started here, I’d been captivated by her beauty, her humbleness and her competency too. When she smiled, I couldn’t help but just take a moment to enjoy the view, no matter how many times it happened. Or how many times I told myself to quit it.

  For what must’ve been the billionth time, I scolded myself. Was there anything more cliche than the boss being attracted to his assistant?

  Or anything more dangerous?

  It was a PR disaster waiting to happen. Or an HR one. Somewhere, some resources department would be on my ass about it, and it was trouble I didn’t need. No matter how pretty and good at her job she was.

  “It’s getting late,” I said, the sky outside was indigo now. “Are you hungry? Why don’t we order some dinner and take a break when it gets here?” I offered.

  “How late do you think we’ll be here tonight?” she asked, biting her bottom lip. Was she doing that on purpose? Did she know how much that innocent look drove me crazy?

  “A couple more hours, probably. But I suspect we’ll get a reprieve for a couple of days while I wait for some responses. How about Venito’s? They have an amazing seafood pasta—you’re not allergic to shellfish, are you? It’s meant to be shared.”

  “No sir, I’m not. Would you like me to call in the order?”

  “Please,” I answered, imagining what my first name would sound like coming from her lips. She’d never called me anything other than ‘sir’ or ‘Mr. Langley’. I was desperate to tell her to call me Seth, but that seemed like a line I shouldn’t cross. Once we started down that road, I wasn’t sure I’d know when to stop until we were way too familiar. I needed to keep a professional distance between us, so the sound of her saying my name would have to remain in my imagination alone.

  Another hour went by before the food arrived, piping hot, the smell of garlic and pasta hitting my nose the instant Dani entered my office.

  My stomach grumbled, and I tried to focus on the computer screen instead of watching Dani’s hips as she walked over with the take-out bag.

  “Food’s here,” she said, dropping the bag on the edge of my desk. “I’m just going to grab some dishes from the break room… Is everything all right?” she asked, glancing over to my computer screen. I hadn’t been able to make any sense of what issue development was talking about, and I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to until I’d had some food or a good night’s sleep. Maybe both.

  Dani read over it studiously, though, her eyes darting across the screen, brows furrowing.

  “You know, I think Johnson’s team ran into a similar problem. I think one of them wrote an article about it in the knowledge center. I could probably track it down if you’d like.”

  “Really? How do you remember that?”

  She shrugged, giving me that humble smile that always made me want to be closer to her.

  “Don’t act so surprised. I pay attention to the things that go on around here. I’m not just your air-headed assistant,” she teased, unpacking the takeout bag as she talked.

 

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